Daily Human Digest
Every day, the staff of the Genetic Literacy Project scours the Web for stories on a range of human genetics issues, including gene editing, regulations and bioethics, gene therapy, epigenetics, personal genomics, evolution, ancestry and artificial intelligence. We publish excerpts of those stories and encourage our readers to visit the original publications for the complete stories.
Blood-brain barrier building blocks forged from human stem cells
The blood-brain barrier may be poised to give up some of its secrets as researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison ...
How did species evolve? Giants of genetic theory go mano a mano
A disagreement between the twin giants of genetic theory, Harvard University's Richard Dawkins and EO Wilson of Oxford University, is ...
Stem cells in the news and Yokohama, Japan
The tenth annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is winding down in Yokohama, Japan. But ...
Genetic testing for nutrition – it’s finally here
After Nutrigenomix testing, patients will no longer be given generic advice such as “cut back on salt.” Instead, they will ...
South African Police back in Parliament to recommend DNA database
Some years ago a draft bill — the Criminal (Forensic Procedures) Bill — was tabled in Parliament but was sent ...
Study examines biology of sexual orientation
Is being gay in people's DNA? A new study was launched earlier this year to try and find the elusive ...
A huge step for gene therapy
A new gene therapy from researchers at National Taiwan University Hospital gives hope to children born with an extremely rare ...
Genes significantly misregulated in autistic kids
Scientists have found genetic changes that help explain why one person has an autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and another does ...
Scots-US tie-up on stem cells
Scientists in Scotland and California are to collaborate on medical research that could give new hope to millions with life-threatening ...
Ovarian cancer: experts call for genetic screening
Women with nonmucinous ovarian cancer should be routinely screened for BRCA1/2 mutations, say the Australian authors of groundbreaking research which ...
Europe tackles ethics of biobanks
Collections of human biological samples used in medical research should be governed by clear rules that safeguard ethics while advancing ...
How kidneys keep hold of early stem cells
Scientists have identified two proteins that are required to maintain a supply of stem cells in the developing kidneys of ...
‘Master molecule’ may improve stem cell treatment of heart attacks
Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that a single protein molecule may hold the key to turning cardiac stem cells into ...
Diabetes drug may kill cancer stem cells, study says
Results from a new study suggest low doses of the diabetes drug metformin may effectively destroy pancreatic cancer stem cells, ...
Tracking stem cells in the body
Researchers at the University have developed new methods to track stem cells and further understanding of what happens to them ...
Genetic testing to choose the right antidepressant
Medication selection is part of the art of psychiatry, but, now, testing is available that promises to make it more ...
European researchers crack embryonic stem cells mystery
In their groundbreaking study, a European team of researchers evaluated embryonic stem cells grown in a pure undifferentiated state. The ...
Stem cells help reconstruct cancer patient’s breast
A potentially revolutionary way to help breast cancer survivors uses a woman's own stem cells to repair missing or disfigured ...
New method uses stem cells to create cardiac muscle patches
A cutting-edge method developed at the University of Michigan Center for Arrhythmia Research successfully uses stem cells to create heart ...
Women have higher genetic risk of Alzheimer’s
A major genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease – the E4 variant of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene -- manifests ...
Chemists use nanopores to detect DNA damage
Scientists worldwide are racing to sequence DNA -- decipher genetic blueprints -- faster and cheaper than ever by passing strands ...
Controversial stem cell treatment improves stroke patients
In a new controversial stem cell treatment named the PISCES (Pilot Investigation of Stem Cells in Stroke) trial study, five ...
Study suggests expanding the genetic alphabet may be easier than previously thought
A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute suggests that the replication process for DNA-the genetic instructions ...
Rewriting DNA to understand what it says
Our ability to "read" DNA has made tremendous progress in the past few decades, but the ability to understand and ...
Company gets OK from New Zealand for stem-cell therapy
Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. has received approval for its stem-cell therapy drug in New Zealand, the second country to approve the ...
Midwest patient receives successful stem cell transplant to cure sickle cell disease
Chicagoan Ieshea Thomas is the first Midwest patient to receive a successful stem cell transplant to cure her sickle cell ...
Genetic testing of far-right Hungarian politician provokes an uproar
If you think running for office in the United States is rigorous, then you haven't met Hungary's far-right Jobbik party ...
